All Our Yesterdays: Good sports in Downham Market, Heacham and King’s Lynn
In our weekly All Our Yesterdays feature, we look back at sporting stories from the pages of the Lynn News in November 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 and 2011...
November 2009: Two Linnets shirts lay on empty terraces at The Walks stadium, summing up the plight of the club as it fought to stay in existence. The club had accrued debts of more than £150,000 and had less than a week to pay off an outstanding bill of £67,000 to the taxman. Lynn had been served with a winding-up order in the High Court, but there was a glimmer of hope with director Michael Chinn pledging to pay off the debt depending on certain assurances from West Norfolk Council.
November 2011: Lynn Ferry Street boxer Johnny George with the British super-middleweight belt he won in October is pictured with sponsors Ady Elmer (manager) and Les Elmer (managing director) of Narford Scaffolding. George was preparing to step up a weight for the Eastern Counties light-heavyweight title at Norwich at the end of November.
November 2005: Downham High School’s under 14 (right, blue and yellow) and under 16 (left, dark blue/white) netball teams had every reason to look pleased. They had both won area tournaments to make it through to the county stages at the UEA in Norwich later in the month.
November 2005: Lynn’s Greyfriars Primary School received new hockey equipment thanks to an Awards For All National Lottery grant. Pictured here are Years 5/6 with community hockey coach Lee Dowers (left) and teacher Peter Howard (right).
November 2005: This team from Lynn’s King Edward VII High School won the schools’ six-a-side competition held at The Walks stadium before a Linnets home fixture. KES beat Smithdon in the pre-match final and trophies were presented by Ken Bobbins, chairman of KLFC, who supplied the trophies.
November 2001: November 2001: These gymnasts from the Lynnsport-based Lynn Gymnastics Club scooped 10 gold medals, four silver and three bronze in a regional sports acrobatics and tumbling championship held at the centre – making Lynn one of the leading clubs in the region. Head coach Jimmy Xu said: “This shows the club is moving on and has the strength to bring up more young talent to succeed.
November 2001: Heacham Minors FC banked around £2,000 thanks to a successful sportsman’s dinner held at Searles in Hunstanton. BBC TV sports presenter Steve Rider and Linnets manager Tony Spearing were among the speakers. Pictured from left are David Penty (Heacham Minors), John Shrewsbury (BBC TV), Tony Spearing, Steve Rider, Keith Barnes (Heacham Minors vice chairman) and Chris Lewis (BBC TV).
November 2001: A Jewson League division one local derby between Downham and Lynn Reserves ended in a 2-2 draw. The match was sponsored by the Lynn News and pictured here just before the start are (from left) Downham captain Martin Saddleton, referee Russell Bird, sports editor Peter Woodhouse and Lynn Reserves captain Darren Suiter.
November 2002: Twenty members of the Cobra Kickboxing Club in Lynn – pictured here – endured 32 hours of kickboxing between them to raise £1,100 for the Macmillan Cancer Care and Treatment Centre, Shouldham Ward, at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The event was organised by Dell Mann, whose wife Karen was a senior sister on the ward.
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